WO2021062573A1

WO2021062573A1 - Load balancing system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2021062573A1
Application number: PCT/CL2020/050113
Authority: WO
Inventors: Javier GIORGIO; Joaquin MELENDEZ
Original assignee: AES Gener S.A.
Priority date: 2019-10-04
Filing date: 2020-10-02
Publication date: 2021-04-08
Also published as: US20210104894A1; US11070061B2; PE20220909A1; BR112022005284A2; CL2022000637A1; CO2022004299A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a load management system for a hydroelectric power plant including a power generator configured to generate electrical power from a flow of water to supply an electrical grid, a virtual reservoir configured to store the generated electrical power and dispatch the stored electrical power to the electrical grid; a plurality of circuit breakers connecting an output of the power generator to the electrical grid and to the virtual reservoir; and a control unit configured to control the operating states of the plurality of circuit breakers such that electrical energy is stored in the virtual reservoir and at least one of either the generated electrical energy or the stored electrical energy is supplied to the electrical grid.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOAD BALANCING

This application claims the priority of United States patent application No. 16 / 593,380 filed on October 4, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety

Countryside

The present invention relates to the generation of energy in a hydroelectric company and specifically to the generation and storage of electricity through renewable energy sources.

Background information

Historically, the world's reserve capacity hydroelectric plants have been the largest source of energy in the electricity grid to prevent and / or mitigate the risk of a blackout in the face of high-impact natural phenomena. These plants have ensured a robust and flexible operation of the distribution network that therefore reduces its vulnerability under normal conditions and with contingencies.

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) In addition, pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES) allows energy savings from intermittent sources such as solar and wind, or excess electricity from continuous baseload sources (such as coal or nuclear) for periods of demand. highest. The reservoirs used with pumped storage are quite small when compared to hydroelectric dams with a similar energy capacity and the generation periods are usually less than half a day.

Today, more than ninety-six percent (96%) of the world's installed energy storage capacity comes from pumped storage. Capable of providing renewable energy precisely when it is needed, these projects usually consist of the construction of upper and lower water reservoirs, with or without accompanying dams.

Resume

A load management system for a hydroelectric power station is disclosed, the system comprises: a power generator configured to generate electrical power from a water flow for supply to a power grid; a virtual reservoir configured to store the generated electrical energy and dispatch the stored electrical energy to the electrical grid; and a plurality of circuit breakers that connect an outlet of the power generator to the power grid and to the virtual reservoir; a control unit configured to control the operating states of the plurality of circuit breakers in such a way that the electrical energy generated is stored in the virtual reservoir and that at least one of the electrical energy generated and the electrical energy stored is supplied to the power grid.

A method for load balancing of a hydroelectric power system is disclosed, the hydroelectric power system includes a power generator, a plurality of sensors, a virtual reservoir, a plurality of interlocked circuit breakers and a control unit, the method comprises : measure, through a plurality of sensors, one or more operating parameters of the hydroelectric power system and control, through the control unit, the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers to store the electrical energy emitted by the generator in the virtual reservoir and dispatch the electrical energy stored in the virtual reservoir to the power grid, where the states Operating parameters of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers are controlled in accordance with at least one set point of operation or one or more measured operating parameters of the power system.

A non-transient computer-readable medium is disclosed, the computer-readable medium is encoded with a program code that, when contacted with a computer processor, causes the computer processor to execute a method for load balancing a hydroelectric power system with demands from a power network, the method comprises the steps of receiving a plurality of parameters from the measured power system; and control the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers to store the electrical energy emitted by a generator in a virtual reservoir and dispatch the electrical energy stored in the virtual reservoir towards a power network, where the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers are controlled in accordance with at least one of a set point of power system operation or one or more of the measured power system parameters.

Brief description of the drawings Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of examples of preferred embodiments when interpreted in conjunction with the drawings set forth herein.

Figure 1 illustrates a load handling system in a hydroelectric power plant according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a graph to show the maximum allowable tolerance from the high and low dead bands.

Figure 4 is a method illustrating a method for handling cargo according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed description

Some examples of embodiments of the present invention relate to a way of storing energy from a hydroelectric power station for later use. The energy is you can store batteries, such as lithium ion batteries, on a network. The energy storage of the battery network allows energy to be stored without the physical infrastructure necessary for pumping water.

A hydroelectric dam (HD) is a known structure that defines or is used in combination with a hydroelectric plant (for example, a power generator). HD serves two important functions. First, it includes a reservoir that stores water obtained from a natural resource (for example, a river, a stream, a lake, etc.). Second, the HD gradually releases the stored water or adjusts the flow of water from the reservoir according to demand. The released water passes through a turbine generator to provide power to the power or load network. Typically a HD can generate power throughout the year if sufficient reserves are available by storing the water flowing through a river. In this arrangement, the river normally has enough water flow over time to generate power during peak times. HD requires a larger and relatively expensive investment, as well as a larger surface area for the construction of the reservoir and the plant. A run-of-river (RoR) hydroelectric power plant uses part of a river's flow to generate electricity. The fluent water plant does not have a reservoir and consequently, it works continuously because it does not have the capacity to store water (without reserves). The turbine is limited to its installed capacity because it converts the available water into electrical energy at the moment. The flowing water can provide intermittent levels of electrical energy according to the flow of water that passes through the turbine generator.

A pumped hydropower storage (PHES) is a type of hydropower storage used by electric power systems for daily load balancing. The PHES system stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy from water pumped from a lower elevation reservoir for storage at a higher elevation. Low-cost surplus off-peak electrical power is typically used to power the pumps. During periods of high electrical demand, stored water is released through turbines to produce electrical energy. Although the losses from the pumping process make the plant a net consumer of total energy, the system increases its revenues through from daily electricity sales during peak demand periods, when prices are highest.

The Independent System Operator (ISO) is also an organization formed on the recommendation of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In areas where it is established, the ISO coordinates, controls, and monitors the operation of an electric power system, usually within a single US state, but sometimes encompasses multiple states.

Figure 1 illustrates a load handling system for a hydroelectric power plant according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, the system 100 may include a power station 102 configured to generate electrical power from the river water flow to supply a power grid 104, The power station 102 may be configured as a water flowing, which does not have a physical reservoir to store water for later use in power generation. Power plant 102 can include any combination of power system components such as a water turbine that converts the kinetic potential energy of water into work. mechanical, one or more turbine generators that convert the driving force of the water turbine into electrical energy and any other suitable component as desired. The total amount of electrical energy generated by the power plant is equal to P _G.

System 100 may include a virtual reservoir 106 configured to store electrical energy and dispatch electrical energy to the utility grid 104. Virtual reservoir 106 may include reusable storage technology such as a battery storage system (BSS) 108 and a power inverter 110. The BSS 108 can include a battery network of any existing or future reusable battery technology including lithium ion, flow batteries or any other suitable rechargeable battery as desired, which can store electrical energy for at least five (5) hours for subsequent dispatch to the electricity grid 104. The power inverter 110 switches from alternating current to direct current for storage in the BSS 108 and performs the opposite operation when the energy stored in the BSS 108 is dispatched to the power grid 104. The virtual reservoir 106 may also include a power controller. virtual reservoir (VR) 111 configured to control loading and discharge from BSS 108. As discussed in detail below, virtual reservoir 106 may be configured to supplement electrical power supplied to the grid by power plant 102 during periods of high demand. SI virtual reservoir 106 is included in a virtual reservoir 107 circuit that includes one or more transformers 112, 114 configured to condition and / or transform the electrical energy flowing to or from the BSS 108 for storage or dispatch, one or more circuit breakers 116, 118 for the connection or disconnection of the reservoir circuit 107 for the supply to the electrical network 102 and a step-up transformer 115.

The current transformers 112, 114 and the circuit breakers 116, 118 are arranged in pairs on either side of the step-up transformer 120. The pairs of transformers or circuit breakers are used to condition the electrical power depending on whether a storage or dispatch operation is being performed by the virtual reservoir 106. A first pair configured to control the dispatch of electrical energy from the virtual reservoir 106 to the electrical grid 104. The first pair includes the current transformer 112 and the circuit breaker 116. The current transformer 112 connects to an output of the power inverter 110 and the Circuit breaker 116 is connected between current transformer 112 and step-up transformer 120. A second pair configured to control the flow of electrical power in virtual reservoir 106 for storage includes current transformer 114 and circuit breaker 118. Current transformer 114 is connected to a circuit outlet of power plant 105 and circuit breaker 118 is connected between current transformer 114 and step-up transformer 120. Total power flow to or from virtual reservoir 106 is PG-

The system 100 also includes a third pair of transformers or circuit breakers configured to control the flow of electrical energy from the power plant 102 and / or the virtual reservoir 106 to the electrical network 104. The transformer 126 is connected to the output of the circuit. the power plant 105 and the virtual reservoir circuit outlet 107. A circuit breaker 128 is the main synchronizing circuit breaker for the power plant 100 and is connected between the current transformer 126 and the power grid 104.

System 100 also includes a control system 130 configured to monitor operating states of the plurality of circuit breakers 116, 118, 128 in such a way that the electrical energy generated is stored in the virtual reservoir 106 and that at least one of the electrical energy generated or the electrical energy stored is supplied to the electrical network 104. The injection of total active power to the electricity grid 104 (Ptotai) is equal to the sum of the active power injection from the running water power plant 102 (P _G ) plus the active power from the virtual reservoir 106 (P _VD ) or:

P _total - P _G + PVD (1)

Figure 2 illustrates a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the control system 130 can include a control unit 200 and a master controller 210. The control unit 200 can include a combination of software and hardware components configured to function as an automation control. of real-time and / or a remote terminal unit. For example, control unit 200 can include one or more processors 203 that are encoded with any number of software modules to execute specific control functions and / or calculations. The control unit 200 may also include a communications infrastructure 202 capable of receiving and transmitting data over a wired or cable network. wireless such as a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) and establish a connection within the system components through a supervisory control and data acquisition network for data communication and control commands. The control unit may be configured to include memory 205 for storing configuration data and / or information for communication and / or control.

The control system 130 may also include a master controller 210. The master controller 210 may be configured to include, but is not limited to, a desktop computer, a group of desktop computers, a server, a group of servers, a set-top box. or other similar type of device capable of obtaining input from an ISO or user, which receives data specifying the operating states and measurement values of one or more components of the system 100 and generates instructions and / or control signals to monitor the operation of one or more components of system 100. System 100 may include one or more sensors 126 for measuring a grid frequency in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the master controller 210 may include one or more processors 212 encoded with one or more software modules to generate a human-machine interface (HMI) 214. The HMI 214 may be configured to generate a monitor that provides measurement information and / or an operational status of various systems and components in the load handling system 100 that includes one or more components and / or parameters of the control panel. 103 and the virtual reservoir circuit 107. In addition, the HMI 214 can generate options to control the operating modes of the management system 100 which includes various components of the power plant circuit 105 and the virtual reservoir circuit 107. For example, Through the HMI 214, an ISO can send commands directly to the central unit 200 through the communication interface device 220. Those interface devices can They can receive commands from external control sources through the DNP3 communications protocol. Master controller 210 may also include one or more memory devices 215 for storing data related to virtual reservoir 106, power plant 102, and power grid 103. Returning to Figure 1, the system 100 may include a relay interlock 132 configured to interconnect the plurality of circuit breakers 116, 118, 128, The master controller 210 may be configured to generate signals and / or control data to control that the unit control 200 set relay latch 132 based on at least the electrical energy P _G generated by power plant 102, Relay latch 132 of an intelligent electronic device may include an IEC 61850 process bus solution that enables mapping from measurements made at circuit breakers 116, 118, 128 to protection relays located in control unit 200 and / or master controller 210 using secure communications. The IEC incorporates a hard fiber system designed to reduce the overhead labor associated with designing, documenting, installing and testing protection and control systems. By specifically targeting copper cables and all of the labor required for virtual reservoir 106, the hard fiber system enables greater utilization and optimization of resources, eliminating the majority of copper cables to make better use of resources for the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of power system protection and control and employs a robust and simple architecture to deploy the IEC 61850 process bus.

The relay interlocking example 132 as described above reduces exposure to cybersecurity threats through sealed communications and improves security by limiting the amount of high energy signals in control facilities. Furthermore, according to examples of embodiments of the present invention, the intelligent electronic device is applied in the multi-terminal line difference where 2 or more terminals are less than 2 km away and in the protection and remote control rooms so that the control substation mitigates the operators' exposure to flash arc risks. Both can be properties of the virtual reservoir circuit 107. The smart electronic device is arranged to protect the generator windings of the power plant 102, since the virtual reservoir is configured to dispatch the stored electrical energy to the power plant when the generator is in service.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the HMI 214 of the master controller 210 can directly provide the adjustment of the fixed points of real and reactive power dispatch from virtual reservoir 106. Fixed dispatch points can be specified for each of the members of different operating modes and can only be effective when the generator is running and only when the main synchronizing breaker 12 is closed. By virtue of the relay interlock 132 between the main sync breaker 128 and the breakers 116 and 118 in the virtual reservoir circuit 107, the master controller 210 ensures that the virtual reservoir 106 cannot load or unload the generator windings from the generator. power station 102 in a situation where the generator of power station 102 is not running and / or the main timing breaker 128 is open. The HMI 202 of the master controller 210 may include a control interlock associated with the virtual reservoir control system 106. The control interlock is a trigger that informs the virtual reservoir control system 106 when the generator output from the power plant 102 is below P _G that specifies a condition in which the BSS of virtual reservoir 106 should not be loaded or unloaded. For example, the following conditions must be met for loading and unloading the BSS

108: Battery discharge _total ^{P =} PG + PVD. PG> PVD

(two)

Battery charge _total P = PG - PVD. _Total P> 0. and PG> PVD

(3)

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the total management system 100 may provide over-generation protection for the virtual reservoir 106. Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the block diagram for signal communication and control data of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the VR 111 controller can be configured to modify the electrical power output of the virtual reservoir 106 such that the total output of the power plant 102 and the virtual reservoir 106 does not exceed a fixed point. defined generation grid 104. The VR controller 111 may include one or more processors 227, memory 227 for storing data related to the virtual reservoir 106 and the virtual reservoir circuit 107, and an HMI 229. The VR controller 111 also includes a communication interface 231 for sending and / or receiving control signals and / or data to virtual reservoir 106 and master controller 210. Communication interface 231 may include a plurality of communication components for connecting and format data signals for communication over LAN, WAN, wireless, RF, SCADA, Bluetooth, or any other desired or specified communication format for control. The electrical output fixed point of the virtual reservoir 106 can be defined through the HMI 212 of the master controller 210, The fixed point can communicate with the control unit

200 for real-time control of electrical output.

The virtual reservoir 106 can be controlled to operate in one of numerous modes of operation. Control of virtual reservoir 106 may be specified by control system 130 generally and more specifically control unit 200 may communicate control signals from master controller 210 through VR controller 111.

In a manual (MM) mode, the VR 111 controller and / or the master controller 210 can provide complete control of the virtual reservoir 106 from a customizable and extensible native touch screen interface (HMI) both locally and remotely. . Manual mode can include a manual dispatch mode. Remote HMI can be implemented through HMI 202 of the master controller

210. According to another embodiment, the HMI Remote control can be implemented on a mobile computing device such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or other smart electronic device that has a portable and dynamic connection capability with the wireless network. For operation in manual dispatch mode, which consists of the dispatch of electrical energy from the virtual reservoir 106, the virtual reservoir 106 that includes the virtual reservoir circuit 107 is synchronized with the electrical network 104 and responds to the operator's settings without violating the limits and protections of the power plant generator 102. The manual dispatch mode provides manual control of a dispatch fixed point in which an operator can directly adjust the real and reactive power dispatch fixed points through the HMI 229. As already discussed, the HMI can be accessed through the VR controller 111, the master controller 210, and / or a mobile computing device 240.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the load handling system 100 may include an automatic generation control (AGC) mode. AGC mode is used for controlled or remote dispatch of various resources. In AGC mode, the control unit

200 can be configured to control parameters and / or the fixed points from the master controller 210. The control unit 200 can pass the received data and / or signals to the power grid 102 via a communication link. AGC dispatch mode includes reactive power dispatch with controllable parameters, reactive power dispatch, and ramp charge / discharge ratio.

In an energy trading mode AGC signals are sent to the facility to perform energy trading.

In a ramp mitigation mode in the power grid system, AGC signals are sent by control unit 200 to power plant 102 to perform ramp mitigation.

In a state of charge (SOC) management mode (for SOC restoration), BSS 108 of virtual reservoir 106 can be moved to BSS 108 of virtual reservoir 106.

A frequency regulation service can be called a tertiary frequency regulation (TFR). TFR can be implemented by AGC control of virtual reservoir 106 from the system operator. The FFR, PER and SFR are frequency contingency services implemented by virtual reservoir 106 from grid frequency measurements at running water power plant 102 and therefore do not need the AGC.

The virtual reservoir 106 can also be controlled to operate in one of several frequency control modes. The various types of frequency control modes available are based on selections chosen through the HMI 202, in accordance with the plurality of frequency control modes.

The virtual reservoir 106 can operate according to a fast frequency regulation (FFR), which is a contingency service (which means that it must be provided as a priority over any other operation that the virtual reservoir 106 is performing at that time ) in which the virtual reservoir is configured to supply 100% of the commitment reserve to the system operator within the time of 1 second to 10 seconds according to a frequency drop function.

Primary Frequency Regulation (PER) is one of the frequency control modes that is a service of contingency (which means that it must be provided as a priority over any other operation that virtual reservoir 106 is performing at that time) in which virtual reservoir 135 can be configured to supply 100% of the commitment reserve to the ISO within the time from 10 seconds to 5 minutes according to the frequency drop function.

A secondary frequency regulation (SFR) is a frequency control mode that represents a contingency service in which the virtual reservoir is configured to supply 100% of the commitment reserve to the ISO within the time of 5 minutes to 15 minutes. minutes according to the frequency drop function. According to an exemplary embodiment, during the SFR mode, each of one or more synchronous generators can be adjusted to operate at different speeds, but on the same frequency, in which several synchronous generators can be connected in parallel.

Tertiary Frequency Regulation (TFR) is a frequency control mode in which the ISO sends an AGC signal to the virtual reservoir 106 to control the frequency of the power grid system. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a graph showing the maximum allowable tolerance from the high and low dead bands. The diagram in Figure 3 is fitted in the context of an example of a 60 Hz electrical system. The coordinates (60, 0) of the graph represent a fixed point at frequency (60) and power (0), such that that the bound box represents the range of deviation from the fixed point. According to an exemplary embodiment, the limited box represents a dead band of ± 1% at the fixed point of loading or unloading for the BSS 108. It should be understood that the coordinates of the fixed point can have values according to a main frequency or utility as desired. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment the main frequency can be 50 Hz which is a fixed point of (50, 0). Figure 3 illustrates a drop rate control technique in which the power output from said one or more generators of power plant 102 is reduced as line frequency increases. Said index of energy produced by the power plant 102 can be controlled based on the frequency of the grid.

Graph line 1 in Figure 3 represents the total energy delta frequency, which is the deviation in

Hertz of system frequency from frequency desired system in which the BSS 108 should be at full power charge or discharge.

Graph line 2 of Figure 3 shows the deadband delta frequency, which is the maximum deviation, in Hertz, between the measured system frequency and the desired system frequency, within which the HMI operating in the controller Master 210 or the VR 111 controller is free to load or unload BSS 108 in order to return it to a desired state of charge. Different values of low delta frequency and high delta frequency are allowed.

Graph line 3 of Figure 3 shows a dead band charge fixed point, a dead band discharge fixed point, representing a maximum energy dispatch in Kilowatts, in a state in which the battery dispatches electrical energy stored while within the normal frequency deadband setting. For example, the set point of discharge does not allow the BSS 108 to discharge below 2% of the maximum load. That is, at a minimum the BSS 108 is configured to have at least 2% of the load at all times. Similarly, the set point of the load sets a stop to the

98% of the maximum full load so that the BSS 108's load capacity does not exceed 98% or 99%, As a result, the SOC can be handled when the frequency regulation is idle. A smaller fixed point reduces the deviation from the desired frequency of the network.

Graph line 4 of Figure 3 is the low frequency discharge fixed point, the high frequency charge fixed point, which are parameters that represent a fixed value, in kilowatts, for the deviation when the FFR is being corrected for low frequency or high frequency. Bypass allows the SOC to be managed when the system is following the drop curve of the frequency regulation,

Graph line 5 of Figure 3 is the high SOC dead band, the low SOC dead band, which are parameters that represent the maximum tolerance, in percentage points (for example, ± 1%), that the SOC of a BSS 108 battery network can vary from desired value. Outside this range, dispatches deviate to handle the SOC,

According to an exemplary embodiment, when the line frequency falls below 60 Hz, the reservoir virtual 106 is discharged to inject energy into the system to drive the load. In contrast, when the frequency is above 60 Hz, the system is experiencing more energy than necessary for the load. In this case, the virtual reservoir 106 is charged with energy from the power line.

Figure 4 is a method illustrating a method for handling cargo according to an exemplary embodiment. The processing parts of the method can be implemented through the H-MI 202 of said one or more components of the load handling system 100.

In a first step, one or more of the plurality of sensors measure the operating parameters of the hydroelectric power system (400). The operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers 116, 118,

128 are controlled in such a way that the electrical energy emitted by the generator in the power plant 102 is stored in the virtual reservoir 106 and the electrical energy and that the electrical energy stored in the virtual reservoir 106 is dispatched to an electrical network (402) . The operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers are controlled at one of a set point of operation or one or more measured operating parameters of the power system 100. A amount of electrical energy from the virtual reservoir based on a predefined fixed point of electrical energy that must be supplied to the electrical network (404).

System hardware

Continuing with reference to the figures included herein, said one or more processors of a control unit 200, the master controller 210, or the virtual reservoir controller 111 may be a general-purpose processor device. In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the hardware processor or memory 205 connected to the hardware processor is encoded with suitable software to carry out the processing. Said one or more processors can be connected to a communication infrastructure, such as an internal bus, a message queue, a network, a multicore message passing model, etc.

The network 109 can be any network suitable to fulfill the functions as disclosed herein and can include a configuration of the communications capacity for a local area network (LAN), a wide area network

(WAN), a wireless network (for example, Wi-Fi), a network of mobile communication, a SCADA network, a satellite network, the internet, an optical fiber, a coaxial cable, infrared, radio frequency (RF) or any combination of them. Other suitable network types and configurations will be apparent to those with knowledge of the relevant art.

The mobile computing device can include a memory 220 (eg, a random access memory, a read-only memory, etc.) and can also include multiple memories. According to an exemplary embodiment, memory 205 may include non-transient computer-readable recording media (eg, ROM, RAM hard disk drive, fast memory, an optical memory, a solid state drive, etc.). A hardware processor device as discussed herein can be a single hardware processor, a plurality of hardware processors, or combinations thereof. The hardware processor device can have one or more processor "cores".

The data stored in the master controller, control unit, and / or computing device may include any type of suitable computer-readable medium, such as optical storage (for example, a disk compact, digital versatile disk, magnetic storage (for example, a hard disk drive) or solid state drive, an operating system, and one or more applications.

As already discussed, said one or more processors can include a communications infrastructure. According to an exemplary embodiment, the control unit 200 may include a communication interface 214 as part of the communication infrastructure. The communication interface 214 to provide the communication capability. Communications interface 204 may be configured to allow software and data to be transferred between the electronic edge device and other external devices as described herein. Some examples of communications interfaces 204 may include a wireless modem (for example, a transmitter and receiver), a network interface (for example, an Ethernet card), a communications port, a PCMCIA communications card and slot, or any other communications chip, etc. Software and data can be transferred through the communication interface or from external devices. The memories may be non-transient computer-readable recording media and may store operating systems and / or computer programs to be executed by the mobile electronic device. Computer programs can also be received through the communications interface. Such computer programs, when run, may allow the mobile electronic edge device to implement its operational functions. For example, the operating system and / or the hardware processor device accesses or operates hardware components such as a camera or any desired sensor device GPS, peripheral interface, USB / Firewire / Thunderbolt interface port and / or monitor (e.g. , an LED screen, a touch screen, etc.).

Numerous variant embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. According to exemplary embodiments, said one or more intelligent edge devices can optionally be interfaced with the cloud and configured with a specially developed kernel of the operating system, although this is not necessarily the case.

The software of the invention may be configured on a newly developed operating system (OS) or it may be Provide as a software installation package on a kernel of a pre-existing operating system. The functionality as described herein can then be a kernel or it can be an application running on another pre-existing OS. The functionality as described can be software and / or firmware that must be loaded on any of different existing hardware platforms.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be made in another way without departing from its spirit or essential features. The embodiments disclosed herein are accordingly considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims and not by the preceding description and all changes that are within the definition and scope and their equivalents are understood herein.

Claims

RE IV IN D ICA T IO NES

1. A load management system for a hydroelectric power station, CHARACTERIZED in that the system comprises: a power generator configured to generate electrical energy from a flow of water to supply it to an electrical network; a virtual reservoir configured to store the generated electrical energy and dispatch the stored electrical energy to the electrical grid; a plurality of circuit breakers that connect an output of the generator with the electrical network and with the virtual reservoir; and a control unit configured to control the operating states of the plurality of circuit breakers in such a way that the electrical energy generated is stored in the virtual reservoir and at least one of the electrical energy generated or the electrical energy stored is supplied to the electrical network.

2.The system according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED because the plurality of circuit breakers comprises: a first circuit breaker connected with an outlet of the power generator and an outlet of the virtual reservoir; and one or more second circuit breakers connected between the virtual reservoir and the first circuit breaker.

3.The system according to claim 2,

CHARACTERIZED because it comprises: a relay interlock configured to interconnect the plurality of circuit breakers, wherein the control unit is configured to control the relay interlock based on at least the electrical energy generated.

4.The system according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED because the virtual reservoir comprises: a network of batteries; a step-up transformer; a first circuit breaker of the plurality of circuit breakers, the first circuit breaker is arranged on one side of the battery of the lift transformer; a second circuit breaker of the plurality of circuit breakers, the second circuit breaker is arranged on one side of the electrical network of the transformer; a first current transformer connected between the second circuit breaker and the electrical network; a second current transformer connected between the first circuit breaker and the virtual reservoir; and a digital protective relay that includes an intelligent electronic device.

5. The system according to claim 4,

CHARACTERIZED because it comprises: a relay interlock configured to interconnect the plurality of circuit breakers, wherein the control unit is configured to control the relay interlock based on the electrical energy generated.

6.The system according to claim 4,

CHARACTERIZED because it comprises: a third current transformer connected to an output of the power generator, where the control unit is configured to monitor and control the first, second and third current transformers.

The system according to claim 4,

CHARACTERIZED because it comprises: the intelligent electronic device to protect the generator windings, where the virtual reservoir is configured to dispatch the stored electrical energy to the electrical grid when the generator is in service,

The system according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED because the control unit is configured to modify the dispatch of electricity from the virtual reservoir based on a predefined fixed point of electrical energy that must be supplied to the electrical network.

The system according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED because the control unit includes a graphical user interface.

10. The system according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED because it comprises: one or more sensors configured to measure the frequency of the network wherein the control unit is configured to control the plurality of circuit breakers based on network frequency measurements.

11. The system according to claim 10,

CHARACTERIZED because the control unit is configured to control the real power dispatch, the reactive power dispatch and the ramp load and / or discharge index in the virtual reservoir.

12. The system according to claim 10,

CHARACTERIZED because the control unit is configured to control, according to the frequency drop function, the dispatch of a specified percentage of electrical energy stored in the virtual reservoir to the electrical network within the specified time interval.

13. The system according to claim 1,

CHARACTERIZED because the control unit is configured to manage the virtual reservoir at a specified state of charge.

14. A method for load balancing of a hydropower system, the hydropower system includes a power generator, a plurality of sensors, a virtual reservoir, a plurality of interlocked circuit breakers, and a control unit,

CHARACTERIZED in that the method comprises: measuring, through the plurality of sensors, one or more parameters of the hydroelectric energy system; and control, through the control unit, the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers to store the electrical energy emitted by the power generator in the virtual reservoir and dispatch the electrical energy stored in the virtual reservoir to the electrical network , wherein the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers are controlled based on one of the set points of operation or one or more measured operating parameters of the power system,

15, The method according to claim 14,

CHARACTERIZED because the control of the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers it is based on the electrical energy emitted by the generator.

16. The method according to claim 14,

CHARACTERIZED because it comprises: adjusting an amount of electrical energy dispatched from the virtual reservoir based on a predefined fixed point of electrical energy that must be supplied to the electrical network.

17. The method according to claim 14,

CHARACTERIZED in that the control of the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers is based on measurements of the network frequency.

18. The method according to claim 17,

CHARACTERIZED in that the control of the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers comprises: controlling a dispatch of real power and reactive power from the virtual reservoir.

19. The method according to claim 17,

CHARACTERIZED in that the control of the operating state of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers comprises: controlling a ramp rate of the electrical energy load and a ramp rate of the discharge of electrical energy in the virtual reservoir.

20. The method according to claim 17,

CHARACTERIZED in that the control of the operating states of the plurality of interlocked circuit breakers comprises: controlling the virtual reservoir to dispatch a specific percentage of the stored electricity to the electrical grid within the specified time interval according to a frequency drop function.

21. A non-transient computer-readable medium encoded with program code that, when placed in communicable contact with a computer processor, causes the computer processor to perform a method for load balancing a computer system. hydroelectric energy with the demand of an electrical network, CHARACTERIZED because it comprises the steps of: receiving a plurality of parameters of the energy system measured; and control the operating states of the interlocked circuit breakers to store the electrical energy emitted by a power generator in a virtual reservoir and dispatch the electrical energy stored in the virtual reservoir to an electrical network, where the operating states of the plurality of Interlocked circuit breakers are controlled based on at least one of a set point of power system operation or one more of the measured power system parameters.